If players needed any more excuses to play Civilization V, they now have another one. The franchise’s latest entry is getting an expansion pack called Gods & Kings. This addition will offer nine new civilizations that include the Carthaginians, the… Continue Reading →

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If players needed any more excuses to play Civilization V, they now have another one. The franchise’s latest entry is getting an expansion pack called Gods & Kings. This addition will offer nine new civilizations that include the Carthaginians, the Maya, the Dutch and the Celtics. Those civilizations bring in 27 new units and finishing off the package is nine new Wonders of the World.
But the big number to pay attention to is two. That’s for the two new concepts being brought back to the series. Lead programmer for Gods & Kings Ed Beach said that the team wanted to pull elements from Civ III and Civ IV and work it into the game.
Dido of the Carthaginians, not the singer, will be one of the new leaders players will face.A NEW BOOST TO CULTURE: Religion is the more fascinating element of the two. It acts as a conduit for culture and comes into play early in a session. It brings a new resource called faith into the mix. With it, players can add to a civilization’s culture by building temples and monuments. That culture can eventually lead to a founding of a religion and that religion can spread virally to other nations via Cathedrals, missionaries and other structures.
The ideas behind a belief system extend beyond a country’s borders and can help with issues such as diplomacy and even combat and city building. For example, some groups such as the Celtics get a bonus for building near forests. One of their special units called the Pictish Warriors earn faith points by killing foes. Those faith points can be used to build temples and other structures.
You can start a religion once a great prophet is born in your nation.LOSING YOUR RELIGION, OR NOT: When it comes to establishing a religion, players can allow whatever faith a foreign Missionary brings, eliminate other beliefs via the Inquisitor unit or they can establish their own ideology and name it themselves once a great prophet appears in a city. Perhaps, I can cobble together some beliefs, name my holy man George Lucas and call his religion Jedi-ism. Whatever the case, players can choose among 50 to 60 different beliefs that offer gameplay boosts such as Ancestor Worship, which raises culture for every shrine in city, and Ceremonial Burial, which makes citizens happy.
That part of the game works well in the early part but as you move forward in time, religion solidifies and it becomes less of an emphasis and espionage rises to become more of a focal point. Players will have to manage spies, send them on missions abroad to discover rival country’s secrets or commit them at home to ferret out foreign agents.
The Neuschwanstein, the famed castle in Germany, is one of the new Wonders of the World.YOU CAN'T BUY OUT YOUR ALLIES ANYMORE: They can especially be helpful with city-states, which has a new interactiion system. These smaller countries are key to a diplomatic victory. But in the previous version, all players had to do was pay them off to win. That changes now.
Instead, Beach and his team installed more of a quest system. To earn a city-state’s allegiance, they’ll have to do favors and espionage often plays role in that. Spies can learn state secrets and give players battle plans for the nations around them. For example, say China was planning a sneak attack against a Singapore. As the U.S., American spies may have detected the plan. That puts players in an interesting position where they can let the assault take place or tip off the Singaporeans to earn favor.
On the city-state level, spies can steer elections toward your country. They can work the population to a frenzy so that a much friendlier leader can work with your nation. Beach said that the religious fervor that dominates the world through the medieval times and renaissance will eventually give way to a modern world where ideology matters. It almost sounds like the Cold War.
Some of the new units include World War I era combatants like this bomber.
Lastly, there will be some major changes to combat in Civ V: Gods & Kings. Firaxis is adding more units from World War I. Expect to see older planes and simple tanks on the battlefield this time around. In addition, combat units will have energy that runs up to 100 instead of 10. It gives the fights more fidelity that the team was looking for, Beach said.
These definitely sound like solid improvements to an already great game. Look for Civ V: Gods & Kings expansion pack to be released later this spring.
Photos courtesy of 2K GamesWant to know what Gieson Cacho is playing? Follow him on Twitter. ]]>http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2012/03/23/religion-espionage-will-have-major-impact-in-civ-v-gods-kings-preview/feed/28leaningleader_didoneuschwansteinCiv5GandKScreen1By: TwitterButtons.comGDC10: 6 changes to Civilization 5http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2010/03/10/gdc10-6-changes-to-civilization-5/
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2010/03/10/gdc10-6-changes-to-civilization-5/#commentsWed, 10 Mar 2010 16:54:03 +0000Gieson Cachohttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/?p=17981

Civilization’s core gameplay hasn’t changed much. It’s just the periphery, the little extras that have evolved. If it were a building, it would be one that’s gone through countless renovation, but it’s foundation and structure remain sound. Producer Dennis Shirk… Continue Reading →

]]>Civilization's core gameplay hasn't changed much. It's just the periphery, the little extras that have evolved. If it were a building, it would be one that's gone through countless renovation, but it's foundation and structure remain sound. Producer Dennis Shirk gave a quick demo of Civilization 5, which is launching for the PC in the fall.
1. The game is shifting from square tiles to hexagonal ones. This changes unit movement. Players can now go northwest and southeast instead of the four cardinal directions. The new tiles also create continents and islands that look more organic and real as evidenced by the nice screenshot above. The new land styles will also include other formations in different styles. For mod, fans there is also a stand-alone world builder.
2. The UI is more simplified. Firxaxis hid a lot of the extra commands of the heads-up display, giving players a cleaner look. Less clutter is always a plus. On top of that, icons in the bottom right corner will advice or remind players of things to do next. They'll tell you if need to produce something in city and such.
3. There will be an in-game browser that will help fans search for new mods. This is a nod to the strong Civ community who have created plenty of interesting maps and changes. In the browser, players can search and rate mods that the community has made. The new game brings the community more to the forefront.
4. There's a new emphasis on world leaders. They speak in their own language, and players will see them in a setting that's unique to them. Napolean will be on a battlefield; Gandhi is going to be out by the sea. Meanwhile, the AI will constantly be working in the background working toward one of the major Civ goals such cultural victory, space race victory or diplomatic victory. You can also enter research agreements with other countries so that the two can achieve goals faster. Just remember, if there's war, then a lot research will have gone to waste.
5. City-States! These new additions are supposed to grease the wheels of diplomacy. They don't get as large as a country, but they do act as nation NPCs. Players can invest in them early on by helping with barbarians or giving them financial aid. In return, they may pump out a unit or two every so often or share research.
6. Lastly, the biggest change is tactical combat. This time around, it's one unit per tile. In addition, ranged combat works differently now. Players now have to move archers to hills or hide them behind a front line. Bowman and similar units can soften the front line so that spearmen and warriors can break through and destroy an enemy line. In addition, combat itself is more realistic. It doesn't always end with a unit dying. And because of the 1 unit per tile rule, cities have to defend themselves, making forts even more vital near large population centers.
The smaller number of units means that everyone is valuable, and players will have to outmaneuver rivals and use the terrain to win.
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